HEBREWS CHAPTER 9
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Heb 9,1-28
(80l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Prayer >> The priesthood >>
Jesus ministered to people through His ministry toward God –
God
commanded Moses to place the Golden Altar of
Incense in front of the curtain so the priests could daily
tend to it, because no one was allowed in the Most Holy Place except the high
priest only once a year. This passage says that the
Golden Altar of Incense was placed in the Most Holy Place, but Exodus 30-6 says, “You shall
put this altar in front [italics added] of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in
front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will
meet with you.” He spoke about the location of the Golden Altar of Incense
as though the veil weren’t there. Therefore, we say that God removes
the veil as we minister to Him through Prayer. The Golden Altar of Incense represents prayer, and according to the
symbolism, prayer escorts us into His presence (into the Holy of
Holies). Before we pray we must walk past the Table of Showbread representing the
word of God and past the Golden Menorah lit with seven candlesticks that sheds
light on His word. For many Christians, prayer is
all but missing. Living a life of prayer has the
power to transform a person from a telluric man of the flesh to a godly man of
the Spirit, yet most Christians never make it past the table of showbread in their walk with God. Prayer makes
us spiritual people, and our flesh doesn't want us to be spiritual. We can read the
Bible all day long, and we can go to cemetery school and come out with a
doctorate in theology, but if we never discipline ourselves to pray, we will
not have developed a relationship with God by venturing into a Most Holy Place
with God through prayer.
(246d) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> The true tabernacle –
In
the the Holy Place
the priest passed the Table of Showbread and the lampstand before he reached the
perpetually burning incense, representing prayer, to rekindle it. The priests
replaced the Showbread every day that represented
the word of God, indicating that the Lord wants His word to be fresh in our minds with
new insights every day. The Golden Altar of Incense was physically placed in
front of the curtain leading into the Most Holy Place, but its spiritual
location was behind the curtain, suggesting
that being a disciple of prayer provides access into the Holy of Holies, as we
couple it with Scripture that we observed on the table of
showbread with the golden lampstand giving light to the word of God. Thus, we
understand prayer to be a type of temple worship by a priest that is performed
in the Most Holy Place. Jesus alluded to this in Mat 6-6, “When you pray, go
into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in
secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
This inner room refers to the Most Holy Place.
Heb 9,1-26
(141f) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears
witness to the new >> It bears witness to Jesus >>
Prophesy about Jesus’ death
(151f) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> New Testament bears
witness of the Old >> The law –
When Jesus ascended back to heaven, He fulfilled the old covenant priestly duty of taking the blood sacrifice and
presenting it in the Holy of Holies. To do this the high priest had to walk
past the Golden Lampstand and the Table of Showbread, past the Golden
Altar of Incense and behind the veil into the Holy of Holies, where he would
make propitiation for the sins of the people. These temple laws were given in
the time of Moses and were strictly observed, but the years
between taking possession of the land of Canaan and building Solomon’s
temple (about 440 years) temple worship was disregarded through apostasy. It was also
disregarded in a long period prior to the Babylonian takeover.
Heb 9,1-16
(139i) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Tear down
the old to rebuild the new – Verse one says, “Even the first covenant
had regulations of divine worship,” suggesting that the second one does too.
So, what are the regulations of new covenant worship? The regulation of the
old covenant was the law, but Jesus said that the worshiper of the new
covenant worships God in Spirit and truth. Therefore, the regulation of
the new covenant consists of obeying the Holy Spirit, and note that it is
divine. The writer of Hebrews went on to discuss aspects of the old covenant
tabernacle, but he never mentioned the outer court, which was nothing more
than a wall built around the tabernacle that represented the outer most
perimeter of the temple, made of porpoise skin, representing the skin of our
own bodies, where the bull was killed for its blood and its body burned. That is, our bodies are the new covenant temple.
Entering the temple
we encounter the first of two curtains; once inside, we see a table of bread. Although this
is the holy place
they did not call it holy bread, but sacred, representing Scripture. We have two forms of
God’s word in the holy place: sacred and holy. There was the light of God’s truth,
symbolized by the lampstand, and the sacred bread, representing the body of
Jesus, who called Himself the bread of life, broken for us. He was also
considered the word of God in the gospel of John, manifested in human flesh
(Jn 1,1-14). Christ was given for us as we break the bread, and the light of the lampstand shines to give
us understanding (2Cor 4-6). Second, our experience in
the holy place qualifies us to advance to the Most Holy Place, for residing
in front of the curtain is the golden altar of incense, representing prayer.
As we seek God in prayer, the Holy Spirit ushers us into the Most Holy Place where we fellowship with God and come to personally know Him on a
whole new level. The old covenant temple was torn down in AD 70 and the new
temple has become our bodies. In the same way that Jesus' body was
torn down and resurrected by the Father, so we go from the holy place of the
sacred bread to the Most Holy Place of the living bread, where they kept the
sample of manna in a golden jar. In the same way that our bodies must die
before we can go to heaven, so God has called us to die to self to advance in
various levels of divine worship.
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Heb 9,1-6
(189a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >>
The smell of death
>> Priestly anointing perfume of sacrifice – The golden altar of perpetual incense is the
key that unlocks the symbolism of old covenant temple worship. It released a
beautiful fragrance into the room, yet it was the smell of death, one of the
many ironies of the Bible. Verse six explains why the golden altar of incense
had to be located outside the Holy of Holies, “The priests are continually
entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship.” They were continually maintaining the
temple's aroma,
which required them to dispose of previous ashes and add more incense. Perhaps
heaven smells similar to the incense that God commanded Israel. There was another room
beyond the first one, called the Holy of Holies, where according to verse
4 we find the golden altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant. Moses’ description puts the golden altar of incense just outside the veil (Exodus 30-6), so the priests could keep the incense burning, since they were
forbidden to go in the Most Holy Place except once a year to perform the annual
sacrifice. This is in contrast to verse 4, which puts the golden altar of
incense within the Holy of Holies. So, is there a discrepancy here? It is
unlikely, since the writer of Hebrews was an expert in matters regarding
Jewish temple worship. Rather, he was making the point that the Golden Altar
of Incense had equal standing with the Ark of the Covenant, which was
Israel's most prized possession! Since the Golden Altar
of Incense represents
both dying to self and prayer, what does that say about prayer? It means that
in order to develop a life of prayer, we must first die to self. As in the
pattern of baptism, that which dies according to the will of God will be resurrected
to newness of life, so a life devoted to prayer leads away from a
telluric existence to one that is spiritual in nature.
Heb 9,1-5
(133j) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >>
The body of Christ is holy >> Our obedience is
holy to the Lord – There were many layers to the tabernacle.
Counting them, there was the outer court represented by the wall of fabric
surrounding the temple, representing our flesh. Then, there was the Holy Place and the
Most Holy Place. That makes three. There was the Ark
of the Covenant, which was a room in itself containing
“the golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod which budded and the tables
of the covenant,” making four in total. The Bible says that the Ark of the Covenant was God’s
dwelling place. You could almost say that God lived in a box. People have
since tried to put God in a box, but what does the
Scripture say? “See that you make [it] according to the pattern shown you on
the mountain” (Ex 25:40). Since our bodies are the new covenant temple, we
are the box.
Heb 9,1-3
(134f) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of
our bodies is from the earth >> Worship unlocks
the spirit realm -- These verses go with verses
6-15
Heb 9-1,2
(37f) Blood of
Jesus (Key
verse)
Heb 9-1
(174a) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Man’s religion >>
Good traditions (Exception to bad religion) >>
Good customs -- This verse goes with verses 9&10
(205h) Salvation
>>
Salvation is based on God’s promises >> New
covenant >> The old one is obsolete –
Each person can be seen to have an old and new covenant. The old covenant is
the time in a person’s life before he believed in Jesus, while the new
covenant marks the time when he now believes. Every Christian is living in the
new covenant age, for the days of his unbelief are past in reference to his
former manner of life depicted by disobedience and living in view of the law.
The law
made no promises of redemption; instead, Christ came and saved us. He gave us a
new covenant by which He affords His grace as our strength to perform the
works of the law that we could not do before we believed in Jesus.
(206g) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to the gifts of God >>
Conditions to the promises of God -- This verse goes with verse 10
(252j) Trinity
>>
You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship
God >> Worship God by your lifestyle --
This verse goes with verse 9
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Heb 9-2,3
(132c) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is
in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit
of man >> Spirit gives access to the Father
through Christ -- These verses go with verses 6-15
Heb 9-2
(76n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Desires >> Word is food >>
Bread of life is the word of God – The sacred bread representing the word of God was located in the holy place, the outer room of the tabernacle, indicating that the Scriptures are sacred but becomes holy when we believe it. Along with the showbread was the Menorah, the golden lampstand holding seven candles; these two things working together—the showbread and the lampstand—bring about the revelation of the truth that we call "faith". Without the light the showbread would be in darkness; we would have to grope to find it, and even then we couldn't read it. Conversely, without the bread there would be nothing for the light to reveal, just an empty table. It is not the Bible only but the illumination of the Bible that we need. Sometimes we read the Bible, and it sounds like seemingly meaningless words; we are reading in the dark. Other days we read and the words jump off the page. How do we turn on the light so we can see what we are reading? Everybody knows something about the will of God, so if we do what we know, it will turn on the light so we can read and understand. There are three things at work here: the light, the word and obedience. When we supply the third ingredient to our faith, the word of God illumines both mind and body. Isn’t that what Jesus said? “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light” (Mat 6-22).
(231j) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of
Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> We
are the body of His kingdom -- This verse goes with verses 6-12
Heb 9,6-27
(209j) Salvation
>>
The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >>
Jesus paid the price for us >> Jesus is the lamb
of God
>> The Great High Priest offered up Himself
–
The priests offered sacrifices both for himself and for the sins of the people
committed in ignorance. He entered the holy place, where he passed the table
of showbread and the seven candlesticks shedding light on the word of God. He
sprinkled the articles of the temple with blood as he progressed to the
Golden Altar of Incense, representing prayer, located just outside the curtain,
the veil in front of the the Most Holy Place. He brushed past the curtain
and entered the inner sanctuary where he offered the annual sacrifice. The
imagery of old covenant temple worship represented the ministry of Christ in ways that also refers to the
new covenant worshipper. The Holy of Holies was a place where no man could go, except
the high priest only once a year. The high priest
made the sacrifice with the blood of animals, and so it only represented the sacrifice that would come later made by
Jesus Christ in His own flesh that He prepared through a life of faithfulness to His Father,
living without sin, making His sacrifice holy and
acceptable to God. Based on these sacrifices that acted as a perpetual reminder of the sacrifice that
was to come,
God accepted Israel’s temple worship that represented propitiation of sins committed in
ignorance.
Heb 9,6-26
(37g) Judgment
>>
Redemption of man >> His blood is the gift of
His grace –
Into the holy place the priests continually entered throughout the year, where
the seven candles of the Menorah shone on the sacred bread, as the Holy Spirit
shines on our heart to give the inspiration of God's word. The golden altar of incense in front
of the veil represents prayer, being an article of the Most Holy
Place, though placed outside the veil so the priests could maintain the
perpetual incense, while into the Most Holy Place the high priest could enter only
once a year with blood from an animal. If the holy place were not properly
maintained throughout the year, the significance of the annual sacrifice was
nullified. Accordingly, when Jesus
went to heaven as the perfect sacrifice, the act of the Father receiving Him
meant that we could be forgiven. Sins committed in ignorance can only
be understood in contrast to its opposite, sins committed in full knowledge. Let’ face it, there are sins we know full well what we are doing, yet we can be forgiven
through repentance and faith toward God, so the concept of ignorance is in reference to
disobeying the Holy Spirit.
Heb 9,6-15
(132c) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is
in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit
of man >> Spirit gives access to the Father
through Christ -- These verses go with verses 24-26
(134f) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of
our bodies is from the earth >> Worship unlocks
the spirit realm -- These verses go with verses
1-3. Essentially, God is saying that it is our turn to
die to self, that we may offer the sacrifice of our sinful flesh along with our dreams and
aspirations, and take on God’s plan and purpose for our lives, and follow Him
into the Most Holy Place, where
we have fellowship with Him.
Heb 9,6-12
(231j) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of
Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> We
are the body of His kingdom -- These verses go with verse 24
Heb 9-6,7
(8l)
Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God’s cause >>
Preparing the sacrifice –
There was an annual sacrifice that the high
priest performed once a year to make propitiation for the sins of the people. The high priest would take
blood into the Holy of
Holies, not his own blood but that of a bull, sprinkling the brazen
altar and the articles of the temple on his way to the Most Holy Place. Once
he entered
through the second veil, he sprinkled the Ark
of the Covenant in appeal for God's forgiveness of Israel's sins committed in ignorance.
The
priest offered sacrifice first for His own sin, and then for the sins of
the people, but Jesus offered His flesh without sin, not for Himself but for
us. He lived in a physical
body like ours that Paul described as "the likeness of sinful
flesh," likeness meaning that He was exactly like us except for sin. Paul
also wrote that Jesus was in appearance as a man (Phi 2-8); that means He had the
appearance of a sinner. The sacrifice of the lamb was performed outside the
temple upon a brazen altar located in the outer court, surrounded by a curtain
made of porpoise skin, which represents the skin of our own bodies, the skin
of Jesus' body. He died to the evil passions and desires that rose in His
flesh that tempted Him to forsake His Father. Heb 5-7 says, “In the
days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud
crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard
because of His piety.” Long before Jesus was crucified He died to the sin
nature in His flesh, which consecrated the sacrifice that He made on the cross. He ascended
to heaven where
He physically offered Himself to the Father as the sinless Lamb of God. It
took a man without sin to die for the sins of the people; only God could do
this; not even an angel could live in a body of sinful flesh without
committing sin (Job 4-18). Since Jesus was both God and man, He could sacrifice Himself
for the sins of the people and use the sacrifice to appeal to His Father for the forgiveness of
our sins who believe in Him for eternal life.
(176a) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >>
Misguided –
What
are these “sins…
committed in ignorance”? Obviously they are apart from full
knowledge! There is a kind of sin that both Lucifer and Adam committed
in full knowledge, whereas Jesus’
blood sacrifice can only cleanse sins that were committed in ignorance. That
is;
the blood of Jesus cannot forgive sins that fall under the category of
disobeying the Holy Spirit. In Revelation chapters 2&3 Jesus commanded us
to develop the hearing ear, but in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit it
opens the possibility of disobeying Him; therefore, it is important to
protect our heart from this kind of sin that Paul called "defilement of... spirit"
(2Cor 7-1), for it has an eroding effect on our
faith, and once our faith is destroyed we lose access to His grace.
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Heb 9,7-28
(189i) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Martyr >>
Jesus was a martyr
Heb 9-7
(155d)
Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer
>> Conscience >> An evil conscience keeps us from believing in God
>> Knowledge of evil testifies against our deeds –
It is impossible to commit sin in ignorance, for it is the knowledge of sin that
makes sin sinful (Rom 7-13). We sin on purpose, so to only forgive the
sins committed in ignorance would seem a very narrow band indeed. However, an
aspect
of God’s grace involves the fact that He sees us as ignorant; this is why He
can
forgive us. The full knowledge of sin speaks of spiritual sins. The sins of the
religious leaders of Israel who had Jesus crucified knowing He was their Messiah is an example of
spiritual sins that are committed in full knowledge of the truth. All sin has an eroding
effect on our faith, but some sins are resolved to actually sacrifice our faith,
the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees had Jesus crucified
in full knowledge that He was their Messiah, which was the sacrifice predestined from the
foundation of the world that God would use to forgive sins committed in
ignorance, meaning that He could not forgive those involved in crucifying His
Son, nor those who sinned in the likeness of Caiaphas, the high priest. The Roman soldiers who performed the sacrifice were
eligible for salvation, but Caiaphas who wanted
Jesus dead was exempt
from God's forgiveness. Anybody who would crucify Jesus Christ has
exempted himself from eternal life. There is no repenting from that, for their
hearts are hardened beyond remedy.
Heb 9,8-28
(229j) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking >> Partaking of Jesus >>
Partaking of Jesus’ gift
Heb 9,8-15
(227f) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >>
Depending on Jesus to have compassion >>
Depending on Jesus to receive us -- These verses go with verses 24-28
Heb 9,8-10
(38e) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection
anointing
(187a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to God >> Jesus
died to self and ministered to God – The way into the Holy Place
was not
available while Jesus’ body was still alive, but now that His flesh has been
torn, the veil was torn with Him, and now God has given us access into the
Most Holy Place, that we may pick up our cross and follow
Him into the Holy of Holies. The
Bible teaches that our body is the temple of God, and that He has called us to
offer our evil passions and desires as our sacrifice to Him. The high priest took a basin and filled it with the animal’s blood
and then brought it into the temple, passing the Table of Showbread, the
Menorah with the seven candlesticks and the Golden Altar of Incense. He passed through the
second veil and into
the Most Holy Place and sprinkled blood on the Ark of the Covenant that contained the original stone tablets of the Ten Commandments
that Moses brought from the top of Mount Sinai written by the finger of God,
which in the new covenant represents the Holy Spirit writing His word on our
heart (2Cor 3-2,3). We receive the Spirit-imparted word as a revelation of
Jesus Christ, our most treasured possession. As He continues to reveal His
word in our innermost being where God now lives, it changes our identity as we conform to the person
who dwells in us (Col 3-9,10).
(190f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >>
Undressing >> Dismantling the outer tabernacle –
Dying to self is something we do by the Spirit, since the flesh cannot kill
itself. We must let God perform the circumcision, as it is written, “In Him you were also circumcised with a
circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by
the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which
you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who
raised Him from the dead” (Col 2-11,12). We have access into the Most Holy Place through
the word of God and prayer.
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Heb 9-8
(61d) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Outer tabernacle—Jesus’
body / Our bodies -- This verse goes with verse 17. The
Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer reveals the word of God to us. This
verse refers to both the dying body of Jesus and to us dying to self in hope
of accessing the Holy of Holies. This is the ministry of the word of God and
prayer: it gives us the tools we need to die to the sinful passions and
desires of the flesh. As we do, God bestows His anointing on us. He calls us to
sacrifice our flesh as Jesus did, only in a spiritual sense that we may enter
the Most Holy Place through the sacrifice of Christ.
(109ha) Thy kingdom come >>
Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit interprets the word for
us
(118m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Newness of the spirit
transcends oldness of the letter – It is interesting that John the Baptist
did not become one of Jesus’ disciples but remained separate from His
ministry, maintaining his own disciples. John was the prophet sent at a time
of transition between covenants. He represented the pursuit of
righteousness through the Law, while Christ represented the forgiveness of sin
through God’s mercy and grace. Although John’s ministry revolved around
introducing the coming of Messiah to Israel and preparing the way for His
ministry, yet when He came, John did not graft onto Him. The reason he didn't
was
that John represented what remained of the old covenant. That is, his ministry was to
both open the door to the new covenant and close the door on the
old covenant. Therefore, the death of John the Baptist represented the death of the old
covenant, so when John was beheaded the old covenant died with him, but when Christ
died, He birthed a new covenant
by virtue of His resurrection. See also: Baptism;
Tit 1-10,11; 75j
(133e) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >>
The body of Christ is holy >> The temple of God
is holy
(206a) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to living in the spirit >>
Conditions to partaking in the spirit
Heb 9,9-14
(41c) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
Jesus presented Himself to God without sin for us –
The priests first bathed prior to putting on the ceremonial
garb in preparation for the annual sacrifice that was eventually fulfilled in
Christ. They would wash in a bath that represented the sinless life of Christ,
cleansing themselves of the dirt and grime and filth of the flesh before they
brought the heifer to the outer tabernacle and slit its throat, allowing the
blood to spill into the bronze basin in front of the doorway to the tent of
meeting, where the sacrifice of flesh and blood was made. Then they carried
the blood of the animal into the tabernacle and cleansed the articles of
worship with the blood of a bull, but cleansing the
priest’s body came before any blood was spilled, representing the perfect
life that Jesus lived before He offered Himself as the lamb of God. Although these things had been predestined from the foundation of the
world, there was the practical fulfillment that God
in weakness of human flesh performed. Jesus ascended to the Father after He gained redemption
for the sins of the world through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross. He received His perfect
sacrifice after a life of thirty-three years in sinful flesh without
committing sin. Had Jesus sinned once, He would have defiled the sacrifice and
His Father would not have received Him; in fact, He would not have even raised
His Son from the dead. Therefore, Jesus lived without sin as the Son of God
and rose from the dead to prove that He was a perfect man.
Heb 9,9-11
(214f) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
Dispensation of God’s revelations >>
Dispensation of Christ -- These verses go with verse 26
Heb 9-9,10
(174a) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Man’s religion >>
Good traditions (Exception to bad religion) >>
Good customs -- These verses go with verse 1
Heb 9-9
(154j) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> Conscience >>
Having a good conscience >> God is my conscience
-- This verse goes with verses 13&14. How
important is our conscience? It is imperative! Our conscience is what we use
to relate to God, like the doorkeeper who gives access to
the Most Holy Place. With an evil conscience the doorkeeper shuts the door. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ destroyed
the power of sin which is death and strengthens us to overcome temptation, so
with the gift of His grace we are no longer conscious of sin. Our
relationship with God mended through the blood of His cross, the sins of the
past forgiven, our future is guarded by the power of God and grants us
repentance when we slip, resulting in a clear conscience.
(252j) Trinity
>>
You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship
God >> Worship God by your lifestyle --
This verse goes with verse 1
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Heb 9-10
(103a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> God’s cleansing power >>
Cleansing blood of Jesus -- This verse goes with verses 13&14
(206g) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to the gifts of God >>
Conditions to the promises of God -- This verse goes with verses 16-18
Heb 9,11-18
(35a) Gift of God
>>
God is willing to Give >> He is generous with
the flesh of His Son
Heb 9,11-15
(29j) Gift of God
>>
God is on our side >> God identifies with us >>
He is our advocate -- These verses go with verses 24-28. Jesus
appeared in the presence of God for us. He didn’t do what the high
priest did so many times in the past, offered the annual sacrifice by entering an
earthly temple and presenting himself to God as an authorized symbol of what
was to come. Instead, Jesus went directly to heaven and presented Himself to
His Father, where salvation was made complete. By the reception of Christ the
Father promised to receive whomever would believe in Jesus for eternal
life, ushering us into His presence as the spiritual offspring
of Christ. These things were predestined before the foundation of the world,
just as we have been predestined to become the children of God, so when Jesus presented Himself to His Father, He did it for
us, that we should follow in His footsteps. Jesus didn’t need
acceptance from the Father, since that acceptance was already extended to Him
at His resurrection. It was inevitable that
Jesus would never commit sin, and it was inevitable that Father and Son would rejoin
to complete our
salvation, though it was already completed on the cross with Jesus
crying, “It is finished” (Jn 19-30). Nevertheless, being a practical God and always
wanting victory fulfilled in every detail, considered it complete
when He received back His Son safe and sound. God demands proof about
everything and therefore expects us to prove our
faith through obedience. The
resurrection was proof that Jesus was without sin, and His ascension into
heaven was the testimony of His absolute perfection. See also: Jesus
intercedes for us; 83g
(30h) Gift of God
>>
God is our Father >> God favors you by His grace >> He favors you through His son
(41g) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
God’s righteousness is His doing -- These verses go with verses 24-26
(83g)
Thy kingdom come >> Intercession >> Jesus intercedes for us
>> Jesus is our Great High Priest
– Jesus, during His 33 years
of life in the flesh, was preparing
the sacrifice by living without sin, and then He sacrificed His flesh on the cross,
yet even then He was not
acting as a priest. Actually, His murderers were more priest-like than Him,
though they were Roman soldiers offering the sacrifice, who were of no account
to Israel. Jesus played the part of
the sacrificial Lamb torn for the sins of the world. Once
resurrected and ascended to the Father, Jesus began filling His role of a
Priest, beginning when He presented Himself to His heavenly Father as a man
who once walked the earth, yet without
sin. The Father raised Him from the dead, tantamount to
accepting His sacrifice, and His ascension christened Him as Great High Priest for all mankind,
who now sits at the right-hand of the
Father. The purpose of the sacrifice was to make it possible for Him to intercede for the people, meaning
His role as Great High Priest is more important than His role as Lamb of God,
which proved Him a worthy
intercessor, that of delegating the Holy Spirit to those
who believe in Him for eternal life. See
also: Jesus intercedes for us; 29j
(133f) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >>
The body of Christ is holy >> God has made His
people holy -- These verses go with verses 24-28
(241i) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecution to the
death >> Kill Jesus >>
Kill Jesus by the predetermined plan of God >>
The apostles taught about His death –
It is ironic the high priest didn’t understand that what he was doing
was merely simulating the real sacrifice that Jesus would make in his own
death, but it is even more ironic that the high priest was mostly
responsible for hanging Him on the cross. Caiaphas was
the ringleader of His kangaroo court, who condemned Him to death as a man who deserved to die
for reasons they only could understand. Jesus was crucified the day of Passover,
so when Caiaphas made the annual sacrifice only hours after seeing the blood
of Jesus spilled on the ground, he apparently didn't put two and two together,
because his heart was hardened beyond repair.
Heb 9,11-14
(45e) Judgment
>> Judgment on believer’s sin >> Through His Son >>
On the cross -- These verses go with verses 25&26
(119l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Curse of God is
broken >> Curse of the law is broken --
These verses go with verses 24-26
(120g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >>
Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> We have
forgiveness through the blood of Christ -- These verses go with verse
22. God divinely sanctioned centuries of old
covenant temple worship that simulated cleansing the people from their sins if they performed
the sacrifices exactly as they were commanded, accepting it as a form of
obedience that He would use to pass over their sins. Those sacrifices did not
actually forgive sin but acted as a placeholder until Christ should come and
perform the real sacrifice that God used to forgive not only Israel but all
the nations of the world, past, present and future sins.
Heb 9-11,12
(140c)
Temple >> Temple made without hands >>
Hiding place >> House where you live with Jesus
Heb 9-11
(217c) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> God is independent of His creation >>
No one can walk in His glory without His consent -- This verse goes
with verse 24
(237h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The ascension >> Jesus’ ascension -- This verse goes with
verse 24. Jesus wasn’t worried
about being received into heaven, since He had already
been raised from the dead. Jesus ascended with the experience of all man’s
sin heaped upon Him, and He ascended back to the Father with the
experience of being cast into hell as though a sinner, ascended with the
experience of all man's sin dropping off Him since none of them were His
own. He ascended as Savior of the world after dying without sin and
breaking the law of sin and death. He ascended to the Father’s right-hand
and has there been received. This is the place of His heavenly ministry as the
Great High Priest, who intercedes for His people from the very throne of God.
KJV
WEB
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Heb 9-12
(172j) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >>
Jesus never to die again >> Because His death
was sufficient
-- This verse goes
with verses 25,26
Heb 9,13-28
(205f) Salvation
>>
Salvation is based on God’s promises >> New
covenant >> The new covenant in His blood
Heb 9-13,14
(103a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> God’s cleansing power >>
Cleansing blood of Jesus -- These verses go with verses
19-23
(154j) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> Conscience >>
Having a good conscience >> God is my conscience
-- These verses go with verse 9. The
cross has power to cleans our conscience from dead works, suggesting that it
is the heart of the matter. Sin defiles our conscience and keeps us from
knowing God.
Conscience refers to sins we have already committed, while dead works
refer to actions and words that do not pertain to God’s interests, a
useless waste of time and energy. God wants us completely devoted to Him so everything
we say and do pertains in some way to promoting His Kingdom, “for whatever
is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14-23). We are called to use
every fabric of our being to glorify God, as it says in Psalm 69-9, “Zeal
for your house has consumed me.”
(191g) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >>
God sanctifies us by His doing
Heb 9-14,15
(244f) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> Eternal life of the
trinity >> Spirit is the source of eternal life
Heb 9-14
(14f) Servant
>>
Ministry of helps >> Helpers obey Christ
(44j) Judgment
>>
Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry according
to the will of God
(111e) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Father and the Son –
The Spirit and the Word working together purchased
the redemption of man. All three members of the
trinity are at work in everything God does. Jesus obeyed the Father, the
Holy Spirit empowered Him to do the Father's will, endorsing the sacrifice, and the Father
sent His Son, received Him in
heaven and invited Him to sit at His right hand.
(161j) Works of the devil
>>
Carried
Away >>
Condemnation without basis of sin
(171b) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Vanity >>
Vain effort >> Vain attempt to pursue God
(173l)
Works of the devil
>> The religion of
witchcraft
>> Man’s Religion
>>
Deeds that are not initiated by God >> Deeds
that are not initiated by the Holy Spirit – The term “dead works” is the new covenant
definition of sin. This definition is far more encompassing than the
old covenant understanding of sin that was defined by the law, for it involves
both the things we know are wrong and the things we do
that are not initiated by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the things we do
that God considers dead are the things we do apart from faith. This is not to imply that all our works must be inspired by the Holy Spirit;
that expectation would create more anxiety than fruit. At any point that we are
unsure we are living in God's will, we are not bearing the fruit of faith. We may keep our
hands busy doing good works, but if we are not led by the Spirit to do them, “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23).
(255g) Trinity
>>
Father, Son and Holy Spirit >> The process of
imparting the substance of God >> Father
discloses the Spirit by the word
KJV
WEB
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Heb 9,15-22
(26c)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Death is separation from God’s presence -- These verses go with verse
27. Many
people don’t understand why God required blood before forgiveness. He planned to create man and allow him to sin.
This gave God the
opportunity to experience for Himself the repercussions of rebellion against
His own will and experience sin and death without actually sinning, thus retaining His perfection. There is no aspect of life or death that
God has not visited. It is important that He experienced everything, for if He didn’t, how could He be God?
Before the cross He never experienced
sin or death; He had to do this, otherwise His creation would always hold it
over Him that we experienced something He didn't. However, since the cross He
experienced sin and death, and now He is above His creation in every way, and by that He can subject all things to
Himself. Not only did God experience sin, He experienced them all.
We have only experienced our own sin along with those who have sinned against us, but
Jesus experienced the sins of every family on earth that has ever lived
throughout all time. As King David said after he murdered Uriah the Hittite
and took his wife, Bathsheba, "Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight"
(Psalm 51-4). God must experience all things in order to be God, and the cross
gave Him the opportunity to experience sin and death. See also:
Cross (Why Jesus had to die); Heb 9-22;
120g /
False judgment (it takes one to know one);
Act 26-24; 202h
(26i)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Death of Christ -- These verses go with verse 27. This
covenant is in reference to an inheritance that in case God should die, He is
leaving us with all His possessions. He owns the entire universe, and He owns
the earth and everything on it. It would behoove us to understand that He has already
died, and we have already received the inheritance, and now we who have made a covenant with
Christ through His blood, have
inherited His entire creation. However, Paul speaks about this in Gal 4,1-7, about a
son who was born a prince of a kingdom, who could not take possession of
it immediately because of his youth, but had to mature into it, and when he grows
to become a man, then he can rule the kingdom. Jesus has died and we have
inherited His kingdom; He has also risen from the dead, and we will reign with Him. See also:
Inheritance; Heb 9,15-17; 36g
/ Inheritance
(Believer owns everything); Eph 1,18-23; 39ib
Heb 9,15-18
(216j) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >>
You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man
is not in control of his own destiny -- These verses go with verses
26-28
Heb 9,15-17
(36g) Gift
>>
God opens His home to us >> Inheritance >>
We are heirs through faith – The covenant that God made with
Israel through Abraham and then stipulated through Moses that related to all
mankind resembled a will. God gave the earth to Adam and Eve. This passage
says that an inheritance is only valid when the One who made it has died, and
Jesus the Son of God died on the cross, though His resurrection did not invalidate the
inheritance. We who
believe in Jesus are joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8-17). Since the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Father has put the entire creation into His
possession, and we have become heirs with Him, meaning that our inheritance
has increased from merely possessing the earth to now inheriting the entire
creation with Christ, after God has put us in right standing with
Himself, and raised us to the level of His Son. We through the death of Christ have inherited
everything, and He has come into possession of us. The Father raised His Son from the dead and gave Him place
just under His authority, and then raised us up with Him and seated us in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2-6). There
are two things that must take place before receiving the inheritance: a will must be drawn naming the beneficiaries, and the man who
wrote it must have died. The will was made in the occasion of death who owned
the estate to determine who of his survivors should receive His possessions. The
old covenant inheritance was the journal that Moses wrote, naming the
violations that stood as conditions forfeiting the inheritance, but the new covenant
was written in Christ's own blood, and the
beneficiaries are named in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It says that Moses took
the blood of the calves and goats and sprinkled the book itself and all the
people saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded
you.” Moses did this only once, inaugurating the old covenant and acting as
a high priest to demonstrate to Aaron how temple worship should be performed.
Aaron afterward took over the ministry as Israel’s first high priest. See
also: Inheritance; Heb 9,15-22; 26i
Heb 9-15
(83h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Jesus intercedes for us >> He represents us
before the Father -- This verse goes with verse 24
(91g) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> Walking along the narrow way >>
Responding to the call of God
(173b) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >>
Relationship between Jesus and His mother >>
Jesus is our mediator, not Mary (or the apostles)
Heb 9,16-18
(206g) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to the gifts of God >>
Conditions to the promises of God -- These verses go with verse 22
Heb 9-16
(253ed) Trinity >>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is
equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the
internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is God of the Old Testament
Heb 9-17
(40d) Judgment
>>
Jesus judges the world through His own death -- This verse goes with
verse 27
(61d) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Outer tabernacle—Jesus’
body / Our bodies -- This verse goes with verse 27
(68c) Authority
>> Jesus Delegates
Authority To Execute Judgment >> Against Satan
-- This verse goes with verse 27
Heb 9,19-23
(103a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> God’s cleansing power >>
Cleansing blood of Jesus -- These verses go with verse 10. Jesus didn’t go to heaven with a basin full of
His own blood and sprinkle it over everything. For one thing, nothing is
allowed in heaven from the natural realm, for the things of this realm are vulgar to God. Heaven has no need to be cleansed, so what are
these heavenly things to which he is referring? They are the people of God who
have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We are the heavenly people that
God has cleansed with things
better than the blood of bulls and the ashes of a heifer.
KJV
WEB
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Heb 9-22
(11e) Servant
>>
Jesus is our standard
(120g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >>
Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> We have
forgiveness through the blood of Christ -- This verse goes with verses
11-14. People have asked a valid question,
why did
Jesus need to die on the cross? There needed to be the shedding of
blood for the forgiveness of sin! God is a different sort of person than the
rest of us. He operates exclusively through His word so that His word
literally defines Him. He treats His word as though it were law, such as the
laws that govern the physical universe.
Everything God speaks becomes law, and God will not
transgress His own word. That is, “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb
6-18). He said to Adam in Gen 2:17, “You must not eat from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will
surely die.” Sin now causes death, and this statement cannot be overturned.
Sin existed before Adam, indicating that Adam entered Satan's curse. "The wages of sin is
death" (Rom 6-23) is a law; therefore, there must be a death
imposed to counteract that law. That is, if people sinned and it caused them
to die, then there must be a man who comes without sin and dies for the people
to break the
law of sin and reverse the power of death in their lives. In other words, it wasn’t just
that someone should die, but that someone without sin should die. God could
not have sent an angel to die for the sins of mankind, because God’s
greatest, most powerful angel wouldn’t have had the stamina to resist
temptation for 33 years in the flesh without sinning (Job 4-18). Only God could do this.
Without question, Jesus’ greatest miracle was that He lived a sinless life
for 33 years, so when He died on the cross, He broke the law that requires sin
to be the cause of death, represented by the veil of the temple that tore in half from top to bottom
(Mat 27-51), the veil that represented sin that partitioned the holy place from the Most Holy Place,
illustrating separation from God. He broke the
power of sin in those who would believe in Him for eternal life (Eph 2,14-16).
Without shedding of Jesus' blood there is no forgiveness. See
also: Why Jesus had to die; Heb 9,15-22; 26c
(206g) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to the gifts of God >>
Conditions to the promises of God -- This verse goes with verse 1
Heb 9,23-27
(134e) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of
our bodies is from the earth >> We are
physically excluded from the spiritual realm
Heb 9,23-26
(140f) Temple
>>
Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >>
God builds your spirit with His own hands
Heb 9-23,24
(224h) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of
heaven >> The joyful kingdom >>
Heaven is better than earth – Earthly things were cleansed with copies of heavenly
things. The origin of all life dwells in heaven, where our future life is
awaiting us. We think this earthly life is real, but wait till we get to heaven and
we will discover a reality that far exceeds this one. It says that the heavenly
things needed to be cleansed; that sounds strange, since we could probably all
agree that if heaven is a perfect paradise, why do things that originate from
there need to be cleansed? Heb
2-10 says, "It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings."
In this case "perfected" bears the same meaning as cleansed.
Hence, in the process of cleansing us, God perfected His Son through suffering as a mortal man, and
when He died, the Father heaped the sins of all mankind upon Him, causing Him to
sink into hell, where He deposited our sin. "Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive a host
of captives, and He gave gifts to men. (Now this expression, 'He ascended,' what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all
things)" (Eph 4,8-10).
Heb 9-23
(253ja)
Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is subject to the Father >> Jesus is under
the authority of the Father >> Jesus did His Father's will –
The writer of Hebrews is making a distinction between the copies of the things
in the heavens and the heavenly things themselves. Had Jesus gone to heaven and
stood in the presence of His Father with a basin full of goat’s blood, His
sacrifice would have been rejected. The blood of animals was acceptable to God
to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, only because God commanded Israel to do it,
meaning it was based on obedience, and that is what the earthly and the heavenly sacrifices
had in common. God commanded Jesus to sacrifice His body on the alter of
obedience. He
stood before the Father with His own blood and atoned for the sins of the people
and God accepted it, because He ordained it. This was the Father's plan from the
beginning; Jesus was simply acting in obedience. The Father accepted His blood
sacrifice for three reasons: Jesus was God in human flesh; He was without sin,
and the Father ordained the cross as the ultimate sacrifice that would atone for
the sins of the people. It is like a college professor who requires a ten-page
paper, making stipulations of its: due date, subject matter, font type Times New Roman, letter-size 12-point and the paper double-spaced. Nevertheless, a student hands in a fifteen-page paper two
weeks early regarding a different subject matter in Arial font, 14 letter-size
and 1½-spaced, and the student expected the professor to be pleased with it. It
may have looked good and read well, but it wasn’t what the professor wanted,
and so it was rejected, because the student didn’t follow directions. Father
and Son are in perfect agreement with each other about everything. Jesus was the
Son of God and we are His sons and daughters, and so the same rules
apply to us. Obedience is what gains God’s approval. It is how we bless
our neighbor, our immediate family members and our brothers and sisters in the
faith, and it is how the Kingdom of God grows spiritually and numerically.
However, we think we have better ideas than God, and so we implement them and
forget what God said. He has a plan and purpose for our lives, a set of good works prepared for
our hands and a
predestined path for our feet that we
should walk on it, but we think we could please God better if we did our own will, and this is how most Christians live.
We try to please
God doing our own thing, which always appeals to our flesh, and then we ask
God to bless it. The reason the Kingdom of God is stagnant these days is
that people think their ideas are better than God's ideas.
KJV
WEB
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Heb 9,24-28
(29j) Gift of God
>>
God is on our side >> God identifies with us >>
He is our advocate -- These verses go with verses 11-15
(133f) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >>
The body of Christ is holy >> God has made His
people holy -- These verses go with verses 11-15
(172i) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >>
Jesus never to die again >> Because He conquered sin and death –
“Otherwise
he would have needed to suffer often.” This is what the Catholics believe is
happening every time they take communion (Eucharist), calling it
transubstantiation. Satan would love to make Jesus suffer often. He
must have imagined Jesus suffering every time people took communion, and
thought it would be a good doctrine to teach his parishioners, and now it is
well-entrenched in the Catholic Church. It says, “Once at the consummation of
the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself.” For anyone to say that the bread and the wine magically turn into
the body and
blood of Christ at the blessing of the priest is
sorcery. If the offering of Jesus once was enough, then why do
Catholics continue this blasphemous heresy? The Catholic manner of
communion is more like the old covenant high priest who entered the Most Holy
Place year by year with blood not his own, only the Catholics do it
weekly. Jewish old covenant temple worship was valid, but the
Catholics offer communion after Christ has shed His blood, thus hurling
contempt on the cross. The fact that they continually offer the body and
blood of Christ suggests that to them His sacrifice was insufficient, that it must be
supplemented with their synthetic doctrines. In the end they admit they
don’t understand it themselves, which they use as further proof of its
validity. It is a fabrication of their vile
imaginations, a way of holding people in bondage to the clergy. A priest must
bless the communion, and if a layman blesses it, their little magic trick
doesn’t work. It becomes necessary for a priest to be present,
which makes the Catholic parishioners beholden to the Church for its spiritual well-being. In
contrast, the Bible teaches that we are obligated only to Christ for our
salvation and spiritual well-being.
(227f) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >>
Depending on Jesus to have compassion >>
Depending on Jesus to receive us -- These verses go with verses 8-15
Heb 9,24-26
(41g) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
God’s righteousness is His doing -- These verses go with verses 11-15
(119l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Curse of God is
broken >> Curse of the law is broken --
These verses go with verses 11-14
(132c) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is
in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit
of man >> Spirit gives access to the Father
through Christ -- These verses go with verses 2&3
Heb 9-24
(44a) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Complete >>
It is finished >> Fulfill God’s will –
God likes things completed. Paul reiterated this numerous times, and so did
James who said, “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”
(Jm 1-4). He wants our righteousness to be complete, to finish what He has
called us to do. He doesn’t like things undone. It is His nature to finish
whatever He started, and He wants us to do the same. The Father did not
recognize the blood sacrifice to be complete until the entire ceremony was
completed. Consequently, there are varying levels of completion in the
covenant of forgiveness. We could say that it was finished in the Garden of
Gethsemane in the sense that He completely resolved in His heart that He would
go to the cross. He already knew He would go, but the garden represents the
difference between a plan on paper and a plan in progress. We can invent an
award winning design, but until it is tested it means nothing. When
Jesus made the sacrifice of Himself, it was another level of completion. Then
He rose from the dead, which was another level, each completed phase being
added on top of the other, until He reached heaven and sat at the
right-hand of absolute power, completing our salvation.
(67c) Authority
>>
Jesus at the right hand of the father >> He is
interceding for us there – This verse
depicts the functional element of our
salvation. It is the principle verse of the entire book of Hebrews, and Hebrews is the
principle book of all Scripture, suggesting that this is the most important verse
in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews was working up to it, and now he said it, and we
should stop to view its grandeur and let it have the influence in our lives
that it deserves. Although Jesus said, “It is finished” on the cross, yet
the Father wasn't done until He raised Him from the dead. The resurrection finalized our salvation,
making it
so sure a thing that the whole future creation depended on it. Imagine Jesus
saying goodbye to His disciples on Mount Olivet and then realizing that His
feet were not lifting off the ground; this is an impossible scenario, since He
had already been raised from the dead, having received His Father’s
approval.
(83h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Jesus intercedes for us >> He represents us
before the Father -- This verse goes with verse 15. Old covenant Jewish temple worship symbolized the act of Christ appearing in the
presence of God for us. The essence of His ministry was when He ascended to
heaven and was accepted by the Father, representing us all.
(104f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the
Father >> Being in the presence of God –
Jesus went to heaven and made propitiation for the sins of the people,
suggesting that the cross didn’t accomplish this. That is, He didn’t make
propitiation for sin on the day of His crucifixion. The sacrifice was made,
but Jesus had not yet presented His blood in the Most Holy Place, until He ascended to heaven. When Jesus
said, “It is finished,” He probably meant a lot of things, the main thing
being His suffering was finished; His purpose for coming to this world and
living as a man in the weakness of human flesh was finished. Taking away Satan’s authority as god of this world
and repossessing the keys of sin and death was finished, but the covenant that would cleanse man from sin
was not complete, until His resurrection and ascension when He presented Himself to the Father
on our behalf. The moment He sat next to His Father on His glorious throne, the plan of
redemption for mankind was finally complete. It must have been an uproarious moment in
heaven.
(217c) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >>
No one can walk in His glory without His consent -- This verse goes
with verse 11
(231j) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of
Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> We
are the body of His kingdom -- This verse goes with verse 2
(237h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The ascension >> Jesus’ ascension -- This verse goes with
verse 11
KJV
WEB
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Heb 9-25,26
(45e)
Judgment
>> Judge believer’s sin >> Through His Son >>
On the cross -- These verses go with verses 11-14
(172h) Jesus never to die
again (Key verse)
(172j) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >>
Jesus never to die again >> Because His death
was sufficient -- These verses go with verse 12. Jesus
paid for the sins of the world with His own blood, and He subsequently ascended
to the Father, and this event happened once. The number (1) is the right answer in
some math problems, such as 3-2=1; no other number fits here. For people to
create a doctrine that centers around taking communion and having the bread and
wine mysteriously transform into the literal body and blood of Christ (as
they affirm) is blasphemous. It is saying that the work of the cross was
insufficient, that there was something left undone we must do, that if we don’t take
communion by an ordained priest officiating and blessing the holy sacrament,
then our salvation is incomplete. Some think they can lose their salvation if
they don’t regularly take communion, like filling a car with gas. It
takes the blessing of the priest in order for this mystical change to transpire,
making the people beholden to the religious establishment, so they must
come to church, and while they are there, give their money. That is the real
purpose for this doctrine.
Heb 9,26-28
(216j) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >>
You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man
is not in control of his own destiny -- These verses go with verses
15-18
Heb 9-26
(39g) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Jesus’ victory was
through His flesh
(214f) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
Dispensation of God’s revelations >>
Dispensation of Christ -- This verse goes with verses 9-11
Heb 9-27,28
(38a) Judgment
>>
Blood of Jesus >> God judged the devil through
the blood of His son
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
Heb 9-27
(26c)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Death is separation from God’s presence -- This verse goes with
verses 15-27
(26i)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Death of Christ -- This verse goes with verses 15-22
(38d) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection
brings about judgment –
If someone stood before Christ and had the arrogance to ask Him, ‘Who gives
You the right to judge me?’ Jesus might say, ‘My Father does, who raised
Me from the dead.’ The man might continue, ‘Yeah well, He raised
Me too,’ and Jesus would say, ‘But He raised Me first as a means of
raising you, so that your resurrection is hinged on Mine.’ The cross of
Christ created a way for God to raise both the righteous and the wicked from
the dead for the purpose of eternal life or eternal judgment. Prior to the
resurrection, there was no established way for God to judge the world, because
He had no benchmark outside the law. The resurrection is the method of God’s
judgment for both the
righteous and the wicked. He could have
judged the world for violating the Law of Moses, but now it is improbable that
God will even mention the Law in judgment, because there is a violation that
supercedes breaking the law, that of rejecting Jesus Christ as their Savior
and Lord. This suggests
that omission of righteousness is more evil than commission of sin, in that
one defines the other; that is, we sin in place of doing His will. God has fixed
a day called the Great White
Throne Judgment (Rev 20,11-15) when He intends to judge the world. It will be
the day the wicked will meet Jesus, who will explain to them that they deserve
hell for rejecting Him. The Son of God, the only perfect and holy man who ever
lived, died for their sins and they rejected Him. This one omission of righteousness
has become the basis of all sin. God has ordained faith in
Christ as
the act of righteousness that clears all transgressions. Our sins are forgiven and our righteousness is sanctified through
faith in Him. The sinner may hand Christ a list of righteous deeds he
has done, but it will not be acceptable outside of faith in the Son of God. See also:
Sin has accumulated since the resurrection of Christ; Mat 23,29-36; 40m
(40d) Judgment
>>
Jesus judges the world through His own death -- This verse goes with
verse 17
(48c) Judgment
>> God judges the world
>>
Eternal judgment of the resurrection – This popular verse depicts the principle that
after we die we enter into judgment with God, but how is the writer of Hebrews
using it in this context? In as much as it was appointed for Jesus to die
once, after this comes judgment. After Jesus died it says He went to hell to make proclamation to those who died
in their sin. He
testified to them that they sacrificed eternal life for eternal darkness, just to have their own way (Eph 4-9,10; 1Pet 3,18-20). Then He was
raised from the dead. This verse indicates that we will die too, and as God judged His Son, so He will judge
us, and there is a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. In fact,
there is a believer’s judgment that many Christians are unaware
(2Cor 5-10). The judgment of the believer will be different from the judgment
of the sinner in that God will add condemnation to the sinner and cast him
into hell, but in the believer's judgment He will compare the life He
had prepared for him with the life he actually lived and take away rewards for
obedience that he did not do.
(58m) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Literally die and
partake of the first resurrection / Die to self to receive the anointing –
After we die, then comes judgment, and the result of that is the resurrection.
Taken literally, after the body breaths its last, the soul faces God’s
judgment. Spiritually interpreting this, we go through a similar
process, but instead of our bodies literally dying, we die to our evil
passions and desires, our natural fleshly impulses, things that bring shame to ourselves
and to Christ. When we physically die as Christians, we face the believer’s
judgment, which will determine the quality of our
resurrection. Similarly, when we judge the carnal temptations of the flesh and
abstain from them through the power of the Spirit, we experience a type of
resurrection in the form of an anointing that has the power to establish the
Kingdom of God on the earth. We display the anointing as Jesus said in Mat
5-16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Our speech changes
into the utterances of God, and our countenance changes into the glory of God,
as it says in Ecclesiastes 8-1, “A man's wisdom
illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.” The
anointing is a manifestation of the work that God is doing in our hearts.
(61d) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Outer tabernacle—Jesus’
body / Our bodies -- This verse goes with verse 8
(68c) Authority
>> Jesus Delegates
Authority To Execute Judgment >> Against Satan
-- This verse goes with verse 17
(69i) Authority >>
Righteous judgment (Outcome of Discernment) >> Judging the flesh by the
Spirit
(72a) Authority >>
Ordained by God >>
We are ordained to walk in His authority
(187e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self
to be set free –
At face value this verse is talking about the natural death of man and his
subsequent judgment from God. However, there is another interpretation that is
derived from a principle of Scripture, something Jesus mentioned, also John,
Peter and Paul, not in a couple verses but extensively, comprising an entire
chapter of this website called Dying to
Self. This is not to minimize what the writer of Hebrews was saying, but to
bring about clarity of a principle that is far less known. Jesus said in Jn
12-24,25, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into
the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He
who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep
it to life eternal.” If the grain of wheat is eaten, the only advantage is
the nutrients it offers, but if we plant the grain in soil that has been
prepared, it grows a stalk with many grains. The seed must first die as Paul
also indicated in 2Cor 4,10-12, “Always carrying about in the body the dying
of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we
who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works
in us, but life in you.”
(240f) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> Limitations
of the flesh
KJV
WEB
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Heb 9-28
(24e) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Waiting creates
anxiety
(84c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Be on the alert >> Be faithful till Jesus comes >> Invite the return of Christ
(237a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The Rapture >> Appearance of Christ – This verse gives reference to the Rapture,
our blessed hope. Unbelievers throughout the generations have mocked
Christians about the second coming of Christ, saying, "Ever since our
fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation”
(2 Peter 3-4), yet we have more reason to believe that Jesus will come in our
lifetime than any generation before us. Unbelievers think we are stupid for
hoping in the Rapture, but we are not fools for believing in Jesus. God has given this
blessed hope to keep us alert, and our lamps trimmed, for He could return at
any time and we don’t want to be caught off guard. Everyone who has ever lived
and believed in Jesus has hoped for the Rapture, yet He has not come
for anyone. He wants every generation dressed in readiness at a
moment’s notice, otherwise mankind would go astray in his heart, as
Jesus promised,
“…the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt
24:44). He is coming in the generation that has quit waiting for
Him, and the generation that quits waiting has quit believing.
Therefore, if you want Jesus to come in your lifetime, quit believing in Him. Ironically, the Church’s faith has staved off His return, as Jesus said to doubting Thomas,
“Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believe” (Jn 20-29). Every
generation since Christ has been given God’s seal of approval of their faith
by His absence, and the generation that does not have this seal will be more
likely to see His appearing. It is a blessed generation indeed who sees His
return, though many will be caught off-guard, but
those who are faithful will welcome His return.
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